Rice Balls
by inatimeofmagic
Summary: After Saki's accident, a devastated Kida Masaomi turns up at Izaya Orihara's apartment. When the information broker rejects him with his usual smirk, Shizuo Heiwajima steps in. Shizuo/Izaya / Kida/Saki
1. Confronting

The knock on Izaya Orihara's door was frantic, the sound bouncing off the walls of the spacious apartment. "Coming, coming." Izaya said cheerfully and elegantly strode to open it.  
A smirk lined his face when he realized who had come to visit. "Ah,Kida-kun, back already-" He caught the fist that aimed for his face in mid-swing. Kida was panting, eyes blazing with fury and red from obvious crying, streaks of tears still visible on his cheeks.

"Now, now." Izaya chided, "Violence is not good, did you never listen to Simon?" "You – you bastard!" Kida yelled, staring at the black clad figure infront of him, "You – you never picked up the phone! I needed your help and you did not pick it up! Why? Why? I could have helped her, I c-could..." The thin boy started trembling again and made a weak tug on his held wrist which Izaya slowly let loose. 

"You see, I was busy at that time." Izaya lied swiftly and turned away from him. He let his signature smirk shine again: "Now, as I see, Saki is in hospital and well, I have clients, so if you could-" 

"Listen to me!" Mikado cried, voice breaking with every syllable, "Y-you said you'd help. You didn't. They broke her legs! She can't walk and it's all my fault, mine..it's my fault-" his voice was cut out by a series off sobs breaking through his throat.  
Izaya sighed and cast a look back. He truly looked dreadful, hadn't slept or showered for days, as it seemed.

"Go home, kid." he said quietly, "I have clients waiting. And your parents are certainly. Your girlfriend is being taken care off, you have nothing to worry about. So." He turned around and raises his hand in goodbye.

Kida felt as though someone had knocked him in his stomach. Izayawas not helping. Izaya did not even _care_. The realization flooded through him, sharp like the sting of needles. And it hurt more than he would heave expected I too. He opened his mouth to reply anything, anything to get a good come back at the information broker but he found no words. He turned around, ready to leave when a tall figure blocked his way.

Shizuo Heiwajima.

Kida froze in fear, when the strongest man in Ikebukero glances at him through dark lenses. He wanted to say something, but Shizuo had noticed the tears on his cheeks. Suddenly, a thumb was there, roughly brushing them away and Shizuo inclined his head towards whereIzaya stood, smiling grimly at Kida. Before the younger one could reply anything, Shizuo had already taken a step into the apartment.

There was no answer. Izaya frowned, did not turn around just yet. Had the kid left without making any noise? Was he made out of thin air? Then he heard a footstep behind him, but it was far too heavy to be Kida's. "Izaya-kuun." a growl slowly reverberated around him and Izaya could not suppress his grin. "Ah, Shizuo-kun, so nice of you to visit me-" He was caught off guard when he felt a grip on his arm.

Someone yanked him around and Izaya Orihara found himself face to face with he death glare of Shizuo Heiwajima.

"Shizu-"

"What is THIS?" Shizuo yelled at him while tightening his grip, pointing back at Kida, who was still standing next to the entrance door, "How dare you not clean up after the mess you made Izaya!"

"Which mess?" Izaya cocked his head, "I can't remember-" "Of course you remember!" Shizuo's holler drowned his words, "You remember how you set up your little plan for some nice gang rivalry and how when it got ouf hand, you just stood by and watched it! And now that kid- that kid is suffering because a teenage girl- the one that used to adore you so-" Izaya saw Kida-kun twitch at the mention of Saki's Izaya-complex, the only thing he had learned that had truly bothered the teenager, "had her legs broken-" Shizuo shook Izaya roughly to stress his words, "Because that damn flea could not control himself!" 

"But- Shizu-chan." Izaya panted slightly, the shake had made him a little dizzy. He took a step backwards and found himself back to back with the wall, "You know how much I love my human experiments, right?" The malicious glint in his eyes reflected inShizuo's lenses and he growled: "You damn flea! Don't you realize what you have caused! Don't you ever feel any regret?"

There was a moment of silence in which Izaya actually thought about Shizuo's question. Did he? Had he ever felt regret? Was he feeling it now? There was a soft sobbing coming from the entrance door and both men glanced back for a split second to see that KidaMasaomi had let his self-control slip for another moment. The glare lit up in Shizuo's eyes again, fiercer than before, "Look what you have done!" he snapped. Izaya mentally rolled his eyes, the situation was getting out of hand.

"Fine, I admit, it was not as well calculated this time, alright, Shizu-chan? Now let me go, I have work to do!" He tried to pry himself free but was slammed against the wall even harder in response, His back ached from the collision. "Your fucking work can wait!" Shizuo spat at him, "You fucking piece of filth, you will not go around any longer ruining others lives-" "Shizu-chan!" Izaya said, sounding mock-impatience to overplay his uncomfortableness at being confronted like this, "As I said, it was not the best idea, but I really need-"

"You don't need anything!" the bodyguard yelled, tightening his grip until Izaya felt bruises starting to form, "You will wish that you'd never set a foot inside Ikebukuro again, I will _beat the living shit out of you_-"

"Stop it!" a voice cried out.

Shizuo's expression shifted from anger to concern within seconds and he looked behind himself to see Kida Masaomi taking a tentative step towards them, raising his hands, "Please, stop it!" Kida said, beginning to sob again, "Stop fighting! It d-does not help Saki...her legs are still broken..and..I c-can't do anything...I can't go home either..b-because..b-because...m-mum and d-dad are also...f-fighting...always f-fighting...stop fighting..." his voice cracked further "I want to stop the fighting..they are always yelling and fighting and it...it scares me..they d-don't ever stop yelling..it's..and...they don't ...no-one cares about Saki and..I-I did everythign wrong b-but ...they d-don't listen...they d-don't hear w-what I say...b-because they are y-yelling so l-loud..."

The sobs became heavier and Kida broke, lowering his head, turning away from the pair.

"Shit." Shizuo muttered and even though Izaya did not feel the shock the bodyguard's eyes reflected , it was almost as though a shard of guilt had embedded itself within him. "Yes." he said glanced at him and let him go as though he had burned himself. Izaya then expected him to exit the apartment as quickly as possible and leave him to deal with an upset Masaomi, something he was not looking forward too.

Instead, he saw the bodyguard walks towards Kida, laying an arm around the teenagers shoulder before pulling him into a rough embrace. Kida's eyes opened at the touch and widened in fear, but he did not object and tentaively leaned his face against Shizu's broad chest. "Hush." Shizuo said quietly, his voice a low baritone, "Izaya and me are not fighting, are we, Izaya?"

Over Kida's head he shot a glare at the informant and inclined his head in an unspoken message. Izaya nodded and flashed a fake smile, "No, no Kida. We are not fighting. Don't worry Shizu-chanmight have come across a little loud, but really,we were just-" he broke off, glancing at Shizuo for help. "Just discussing." Shizuo carried on, awkwardly patting Kida's back, "That's what adults do, ne? Discussing is important so everyone can get his opinion across."

"But not fighting." Kida mumbled, burrying his face a little more inShizuo's chest. He found the warmth the strongest and ironically scariest man in Ikebukuro emitted oddly comforting. "No, not fighting." Shizuo reassured him, "No-one is fighting. Listen...how about...you take a shower and lie down for a while? You're upset, you should get some rest. Right?" 


	2. Fraternizing

Kida was not exactly thrilled at the idea at remaining longer than it was necessary in Izaya Orihara's apartment, but Shizuo's grip felt steady and he did not, therefore he only nodded, allowing the blonde to lead him to a small bathroom at the back of the apartment, grabbing a towel from a cupboard and pressing into his hand. Kidashowered, then wrapped the towel around himself and came was already waiting and led him into the next room, which looked like a guest bedroom.

He handed him a black nightshirt and wordlessly drew back the covers for him ,letting him slip inside the bed. The situation was more than unusual and despite Kida's usual self-conciousness, nothing remained of that today. He just wanted to hide somewhere from the rest of the world. He drew up the covers, but a hand stopped him, instead tucking the blanket around him.

Kida caught his breath. Was that really Shizuo Heiwajima, the scariest man in Ikebukuro? Making his bed? His question was answered when a rough hand stroke through his hair and the same voice that had yelled at the informant only minutes ago muttered: "Oi. Kida. What happened was not your fault. Ikebukuro is a dangerous place and dangerous things happen here. You did everything in your mind to save your girlfriend and that is what counts. The gangs are ruthless. Saki decided to join yours – or at least, befriend you as the leader- on her own. She knew what she was risking. You might have risked too much, but at least you did not drag anyone into anything. Know that."

He sighed quietly. "She is safe now and being taken care of. We can visit her together later...she'll be fine. It's a good hospital. She will be happy to see you. And now sleep. Ok?" Everything Shizuo had just told him, it was too much for Kida to take him, but the overall message translated to him that Shizuo was not blaming him and even though his guilty conscious told him that was wrong, that he deserved to feel the same pain as Saki had had for his stupidity, it comforted him. "Hai." he whispered quietly, closing his eyes and letting sleep overtake him.

Kida awoke a little while later. He blinked, still half-asleep, when the memory came back. Izaya. Shizuo. Saki. His stomach clenched painfully at the notion and he sat up, heart pounding and cast his glance around the room he was in. It appeared to be a fairly normal, barely furnished bedroom with one bed and a black wardrobe at the other side. A window at his left, a rug next to the bed on the right. And..

Kida flushed with slight embarrassment, remembering how Shizuo had brought him here. He ought to thank him for that. He quickly got to his feet and exited the small room, walking along the long, broad hallway, his feet making soft thuds on the floor until he heard noises. They were coming from a room further down. Izaya andShizuo, it seemed. Kida hurried and just stopped a metre before it, leaning against the wall and holding his breath. They were not fighting, for once.

"Ne, Shizu-chan?" Izaya said in that moment, "Telling someone that you will beat the living shit out of them really isn't nice." There was the slightest hint of irritation in his tone which was laced by mockery. "Shut up, flea." Shizuo grumbled. Kida heard a light crunch, which signalled a cigarette being squished out, "I was just mad in that moment, I did not think straight. And you did fuck up a lot this time."

Kida heard him sigh and then add in a much lower voice: "You do know I would never hurt you like that, right?"

Oh.

That was unexpected.

Kida raises in eyebrow, the data he had collected all the years about the infamous couple of Ikebukuro not matching up with this- almost concerned- exclamation of ShizuoHeiwajima's.

"Do I?" Izaya said provokingly, earning him another sigh from Shizuo. "I guess I would still be too fast." - there was a scrape of chairs"- "far too fast for you catch me, you might loose your sunglasses from running to quickly." "Shut up, flea." Shizuo growled again, "I swear, if you do not shut up right this second-" "Ah, I love to tease Shizu-chan!" Izaya giggled, "How about the next time I'll hide your sunglasses somewhere where you will not find them and-"

Silence. 

Kida's stood there in frozen shock. Shizuo had managed to shut Izaya Orihara up. How was that possible? Had the laws of the universe broken down- or...he edged further towards the kitchen and then glanced around the corner. The sight that he was confronted with made him stop in his tracks.

And he realized how exactly Shizuo had made Izaya shut up. 

The bodyguard had had one hand wrapped around the dark-haired information broken while the other one was cupping his cheek and he was kissing him.  
The scene looked terribly intimate and Kida could feel the blood rushing up his face- did they not – did they not hate each other? H-how on earth..but then he recalled how confident Shizuo had been in showing him the bathroom and guest bedroom and knowing exactly where the towel was and suddenly it made sense. Still, he made a step back but he stepped on an uneven floorboard. It creaked and the infamous- and literal- couple of Ikebukuro broke apart.

Both stared at him in shock and surprise, Shizuo looked flustered while Izaya smirked again, "Kida-kun, awake already?" "H-hai." Kida stammered , not knowing what to say and then brushed back his hair, managing a smile "Sorry for barging in like this and tthank you for ...accepting me so friendly...and..now I should leave..." He turned around, ready to make his escape when he was stopped by a grip on his shoulder.

"Kida." he heard Shizuo say and when he turned around, the dangerous man smiled at him. "Please. We made dinner for you." "D-dinner?" Kida stammered and grinned embarassedly, "No, that is really - " He was interrupted by a beep of the microwave signalling the delivery of warm food. Izayawent to get it and smiled at him too. It did not seem fake. "Please, sit down. Ikebukuro can starve you, ne?" With Shizuo's hand still clam-tight on his shoulder, Kida found it difficult to disagree. 

A few minutes later he found himself face to face with Shizuo at a dinner table, a plate of steaming rice balls in front of him. "Itadakimasu!" Izaya said, bowing mockingly and Shizuo replied with a mutter. They ate in silence, not unpleasant silence though and Kida realized that being in a room with Ikebukuro's most infamous information broker and bodyguard at the same time was not as dangerous as Erika Kasawa had already told him it would be. 

Erika. Saki. 

His fingers clenched around the fork and he swallowed down his mouthful slowly.  
"Kida?" Shizuo had noticed his uncomfortableness, "Is everything alright?"  
Kida nodded but could not bring himself to eat more. 

He heard Izaya sigh and when he looked at the information broker he was stopped by he slight trace of regret in Izaya's eyes. "Fine, listen to me." the latter said, sounding a little impatient- and receiving a glare from Shizuo, "I'm sorry for not being available when you needed me. And overall...for some of the mess. I'll help you literally get Saki back on her legs, don't worry." 

Kida stared at Izaya, not able to believe what he had just heard. "Did you just apologize to me?" he wondered, dumbstruck.  
"I believe he did." Shizuo grumbled, "Wipe that smirk of your face, flea. Can't be a responsible citizen for 5 minutes of your life? Let me show you the ropes, it's not that difficult."  
"Oh, I'm pretty sure you do that in the bedroom already." Kida muttered. Then he ralized he had spoken into pure silence. They had heard him. 

He glanced up at Shizuo and Izaya, who were both staring at him.

Bad.

Very bad situation. He better get ouf here quickly as possible, Shizuo was known for his flaring temper-  
He saw the brute beginning to shake and mentally said his last goodbyes. "I-" where was the door? There! He just needed to cross the room in a less than two minutes and he'd be fine – He heard a sound and jumped, panicking on the inside. 

It was laughter. Shizuo Heiwajima was leaning on the table, laughing uncontrollably and throwing his head back. Izaya on the other hand, rolled his eyes and burried his face in his hands. 

"Shut up." he mumbled.  
Shizuo did not do him the favour and Kida wished he'd had his mobile phone with him to record that moment.

The moment in which he learned that Walker Yunase owned Erika Kasawa 50 Dollars on their beat on who topped in this – previously imaginary- relationship.

3He came home hours later, exhaustedly dropping on his bed. He could hear loud shouting across the hallway, but this time, he didn't mind. Putting on his headphones at full volume, he leant back on the bed and let his thoughts float free.

Life was not that bad. Saki was injured severely, but given the best medical treatment. She was not dead.

She would recover.

They would be together again.  
He had disbanded the Yellow Scarves, but they had sworn him entire loyalty until he returned.  
He had discovered Ikebukuro's most infamous relationship.

And most of all, he'd had an apartment he could go to whenever he...

he, what , actually?

Kida sat up straight, mentally rolling his eyes. When he wanted someone to talk to? Be there for him? He sounded pathetic. When he wanted rice balls, he decided. Yes. That sounded good.

When he wanted rice balls and not because a certain information dealer and bodyguard had made helped him to make this day just a little better.


End file.
